Multi-unit carton



Feb- 18, 1964 R. E. DE PAUL ETAL 3,121,492

MULTI-UNIT CARTON Filed July l9,l962

fnl/@m1277151 FEZ' ccz rdf.' Deful 0 Franzi @.Czllzgfo @fm/M W@ United States Patent O 3,121,492 MULT-UNET CARTON Richard E. De Paul, Norristown, Pa., and Frank A. Cilluiio, Elmhurst, Queens, N.Y., assigner to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 19, 1962, Ser. No. 211,007 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-56) The present invention relates to folding paperboard cartons and more particularly to cartons having a number of separate compartments which may be kept individually sealed and readily opened to remove their contents.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a compartmented carton for separate retention of articles such as cigars or cigarettes, or other products, which are generally used one at a time and which require hermetic sealing to maintain them in fresh condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton which is simple in form and inexpensive to produce, having a plurality of separate compartments carried by opposite carton walls, such compartments being spaced in staggered relation on such walls so that the compartments carried on one Wall may be interfitted with compartments carried by the opposite wall.

A further object is to provide an inexpensive form of carton with elongated side walls each having a plurality of elongated, interfitting compartments secured lengthwise thereton, such side Walls being joined by end walls, and the side walls being offset with respect to each other, whereby the compartment adjacent the edge of its attached wall is at least partially exposed by the inset edge of the opposite side Wall.

A still further object is to provide an inexpensive form of display carton having closely spaced, elongated side Walls of comparable width, connected only at their ends with sides left open, and each Wall having a plurality of spaced compartments secured thereon arranged to interft with compartments on the opposite wall, such compartments being formed of transparent material, and the walls being connected in offset arrangement so that the inset edge of each Wall will expose the adjacent tace of the compartment carried on the opposite wall, thus enabling a prospective buyer of the package to view with facility the contents of the outer compartments.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of ready opening carton compartment formed of disruptable sheet material whereby access to the contents may readily be attained.

Additional and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings- FIG. l is a perspective view of a carton formed in accordance with the invention showing how the outer compartment along one side of the filled carton may readily be viewed;

FIG. 2 is an edge view of the carton;

FlG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3 3 of FIG. 2; and

FG. 4 is a plan view of the carton blank with compartments secured on the side walls.

The carton blank is in the form of an elongated strip suitably cut and crease scored to provide two side walls and connecting end Walls. The side edges of the carton are open to enable the contents to be viewed readily. The end wall at one end of the blank has a securing flap by which the ends of the blank may be attached to form a sleeve-like carton. Attached to the inner faces of the side walls are tubular compartments preferably formed of transparent plastic sheet material within which articles like cigars or cigarettes may be kept hermetically sealed. The

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individual compartments are constructed for easy opening to afford ready access to their contents.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the blank, indicated as a whole at 1, is cut and scored to provide elongated side wall panels 2 and 3, end wall panels 4 and 5 and attaching flap 6 hingedly connected along fold lines 7, 8, 9 and 1t). The side wall panels are preferably of the same width and the end wall panels are rhomboidal shaped, as shown in FIG. 4, whereby one side wall will be offset with respect to the other. The attaching flap 6 at. the free edge of end wall 5 is aligned with the side Wall 2 so that it may be adhesively secured to such wall.

On each side wall there is secured a plurality of closed compartments, two being shown on each wall in the present instance, indicated at 12, 13 and 14, 15. These compartments are preferably formed from suitable panels of disruptable, transparent plastic sheet material adhesively or otherwise secured to the inside surfaces of the walls. The adjacent compartments on each Wall are spaced sufficiently to receive between them a compartment on the opposite Wall, as shown in FIG. 3.

Each compartment may be permanently closed at one end and at the other end has a closure section arranged with a pull tab whereby an opening in the end wall may readily be formed. This is best shown in FIG. 4 in which the closure sections 14a and 15a have pull tabs 14b and 15b. Similar closure sections and pull tabs are provided on compartments 12 and 13 and are indicated at 12a, 12b and 13a, 13b.

The articles to be enclosed in the compartments may be placed in the desired positions on the side wall panels after which the transparent plastic sheets, having convex sections to form the compartments, are brought down over the articles and the sheets are secured adhesively or by heat and pressure, as desired. The pull tabs will be left unsecured so that they may readily be lifted and pulled to detach the small portion at the base of the tab and, by further pulling, the closure portion adjacent the pull tab will be disrupted to give access to the enclosed article.

After the articles have been enclosed, as above explained, the two side walls are brought into parallel relation and the attaching flap 6 will be secured on the outside of the free end of wall 2. The flap 6 is preferably secured so that it can be released by a rm pull to enable the side walls to be swung apart, giving access to the contents as above described. After removal of one of the articles the side walls may be brought to parallel position and so retained until another of the articles is desired.

The offset arrangement of the side walls is desirable from the standpoint of giving adequate protection to the contents and at the same time clearly displaying the articles at the open sides of the carton. In addition, the form of the blank is such that the blanks may be cut in nested relation from large sheets with only a negligible amount of waste.

By using disruptable sheet material for forming the compartments and employing a pull-tab joined to the article enclosing section by a narrow strip integral with the tab and the compartment wall, access to the compartment contents is easily obtained without requiring the use of special weakened areas or tear lines in the compartment Wall.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes .may be made in the construction as disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-unit carton of foldable paperboard cornprising:

(a) two elongated, rectangular side walls of similar size connected at their ends to the lateral edges of a narrow end wall of rhomboidal form, whereby the side walls are off-set with respect to each other;

(b) compartments formed on said side walls each comprising a panel of thin, readily disruptable, plastic material having an elongated, convexly shaped, article-holding part with at least one at, marginal portion permanently secured to the carton wall;

(c) said compartments each having a cross-sectional dimension commensurate with the width of the end Wall, whereby the side walls in closed position will be substantially parallel and whereby the centrally located compartments will be in close relation to their adjacent, nonattached walls;

(d) the positioning of the individual compartments on one side wall being oifset laterally with respect to compartments on the other side wall, whereby the compartments on the two side walls may be placed in interftting relation;

(e) the opposite, lateral oifset edges of the two side walls being offset suiciently to expose to view the major portions of the opposed, outer compartments beyond the side edges of their non-attached walls:

(f) an integral closure section at one end of each convex holding part to close such end of the compartment;

(g) each closure section at its lower edge terminating in a narrow, ilat section releasably secured to the carton wall; and

(lz) a pull-tab section adjoining such narrow, ilat section, such pull-tab section being unsecured to the carton wall, whereby an upward pull on the pull-tab serves first to displace the narrow, releasably secured section and thereafter, by continued pull on the pulltab, serves to open the compartment by disruption of the closure section.

2. A compartmented carton, as defined in claim 1, in which the pull-tab and the releasably secured section of the material of the compartment have a lateral dimension commensurate with the lateral dimension of the closure section, whereby the closure section will tend to be disrupted adjacent its lateral edges.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,753,041 Weiss `uly 3, 1956 2,891,663 Benander Iune 23, 1959 2,984,346 Holley May 16, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 338,513 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1930 1,010,631 France Mar. 26, 1952 

1. A MULTI-UNIT CARTON OF FOLDABLE PAPERBOARD COMPRISING: (A) TWO ELONGATED, RECTANGULAR SIDE WALLS OF SIMILAR SIZE CONNECTED AT THEIR ENDS TO THE LATERAL EDGES OF A NARROW END WALL OF RHOMBOIDAL FORM, WHEREBY THE SIDE WALLS ARE OFF-SET WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER; (B) COMPARTMENTS FORMED ON SAID SIDE WALLS EACH COMPRISING A PANEL OF THIN, READILY DISRUPTABLE, PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING AN ELONGATED, CONVEXLY SHAPED, ARTICLE-HOLDING PART WITH AT LEAST ONE FLAT, MARGINAL PORTION PERMANENTLY SECURED TO THE CARTON WALL; (C) SAID COMPARTMENTS EACH HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION COMMENSURATE WITH THE WIDTH OF THE END WALL, WHEREBY THE SIDE WALLS IN CLOSED POSITION WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND WHEREBY THE CENTRALLY LOCATED COMPARTMENTS WILL BE IN CLOSE RELATION TO THEIR ADJACENT, NON-ATTACHED WALLS; (D) THE POSITIONING OF THE INDIVIDUAL COMPARTMENTS ON ONE SIDE WALL BEING OFFSET LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO COMPARTMENTS ON THE OTHER SIDE WALL, WHEREBY THE COMPARTMENTS ON THE TWO SIDE WALLS MAY BE PLACED IN INTERFITTING RELATION; (E) THE OPPOSITE, LATERAL OFFSET EDGES OF THE TWO SIDE WALLS BEING OFFSET SUFFICIENTLY TO EXPOSE TO VIEW THE MAJOR PORTIONS OF THE OPPOSED, OUTER COMPARTMENTS BEYOND THE SIDE EDGES OF THEIR NON-ATTACHED WALLS: (F) AN INTEGRAL CLOSURE SECTION AT ONE END OF EACH CONVEX HOLDING PART TO CLOSE SUCH END OF THE COMPARTMENT; (G) EACH CLOSURE SECTION AT ITS LOWER EDGE TERMINATING IN A NARROW, FLAT SECTION RELEASABLY SECURED TO THE CARTON WALL; AND (H) A PULL-TAB SECTION ADJOINING SUCH NARROW, FLAT SECTION, SUCH PULL-TAB SECTION BEING UNSECURED TO THE CARTON WALL, WHEREBY AN UPWARD PULL ON THE PULL-TAB SERVES FIRST TO DISPLACE THE NARROW, RELEASABLY SECURED SECTION AND THEREAFTER, BY CONTINUED PULL ON THE PULLTAB, SERVES TO OPEN THE COMPARTMENT BY DISRUPTION OF THE CLOSURE SECTION. 